Tar'kanas moves a step over and fires multiple arrows once again at the beast.
Tar'kanas's first pair of arrows fly together and land squarely in the decapus's side, drawing another bellow of rage from it. Unfortunately, the next arrow flies too high and drops behind the decapus and into the depths of the well.
Ishirou circles round to get at the creature , then attacks.
-- miss
Unfortunately, the beast ducks just into to avoid the attack.
At Sasha's command, Alton holds back.
Next Up: Decapus, Makoa, Sasha, Jask, Urza (subject to delayed action), Mahjik, Untari, Pezock, Lorenz, Shokambe (subject to delayed action), Tar'kanas, Ishirou, Alton (subject to delayed action).
Peering through the brush, Douena can barely see the monster past the enlarged Makoa and Mahjik.
With all the attacks that have come against it just getting to the top of the well, the decapus is now in bad shape. A look of desperation comes over its monstrous face. It bites at Pezock and then, while still clinging to the side of the well with two of its tentacles, it lashes out with the other eight, all at Mahjik, as if it's determined to take one of you with it before it dies.
-- hit, critical threat
-- not confirmed
-- hit, critical threat
-- not confirmed
-- hit, critical threat
-- confirmed
-- hit
-- hit
-- hit
-- hit
-- hit
-- miss
The decapus's bite leaves a nasty gash in Pezock, but it's tentacles are truly devastating, knocking Mahjik backwards and forwards multiple times until he falls over unconscious.
Next Up: Sasha, Jask, Urza (subject to delayed action), Mahjik, Untari, Pezock, Lorenz, Shokambe (subject to delayed action), Tar'kanas, Ishirou, Alton (subject to delayed action), Douena (subject to delayed action), Decapus.
Douena squeaks with alarm as Mahjik's oversized form topples with an earth-shaking thud. Dashing from the shelter of the trees, she takes cover behind Lorenz and beseeches, "Make him be okay, Desna! Jask!" she calls to the elf. "I've got Mahjik! Watch out for the rest of them!"
Douena rushes forward and casts a spell. Her magic stops Mahjik's bleeding and keeps him safe from dying (provided the decapus doesn't have another go at him).
Next Up: Sasha, Jask, Urza (subject to delayed action), Mahjik, Untari, Pezock, Lorenz, Shokambe (subject to delayed action), Tar'kanas, Ishirou, Alton (subject to delayed action), Decapus, Douena.
Seeing the decapus lash out, Makoa flies into a rage to return the favor and attacks with axe and fang.
[ooc]Round 1 of Rage[/dice]
Makoa's axe bites into the decapus just beside its mouth, leaving a trail of bile dripping from the wound. The creature looks badly injured but continues to fight. But then he rips into the top of the beast's head with his teeth and tears it open. The decapus's tentacles twitch and it loses its grip on the side of the well. As it falls, it makes one last desperate attempt to grab hold of the wall again, but fails and loses consciousness. There's a loud splat as it hits the bottom of the well.
"Well, that was kind of anticlimactic," Douena says with disappointment. "Not for Mahjik, I guess. Do you suppose it has any treasure down there at the bottom of the pit? If they've been worshipping it as a god, maybe they threw it stuff," she concludes hopefully.
"Well, that was kind of anticlimactic," Douena says with disappointment. "Not for Mahjik, I guess. Do you suppose it has any treasure down there at the bottom of the pit? If they've been worshipping it as a god, maybe they threw it stuff," she concludes hopefully.
Slightly impressed with the half-orc's efficiency, Tar'kanas turns to the gnome, "It is possible. But I believe our immediate concern is Mahjik." Tar'kanas moves up to the fallen monk, noticing he still breathes. "He lives but is in need of aid." He looks over the unarmed warrior, observing the multiple, severe wounds he has suffered. "And a great deal of it."
Makoa's breathing slowly goes back to normal before some minor fatigue sets in.
"I do not recommend trying to eat it." He says, spitting out the chuck he'd bitten out.
Jask kneels beside Mahjik's limp form and casts a spell to revive the monk.
Makoa's breathing slowly goes back to normal before some minor fatigue sets in.
"I do not recommend trying to eat it." He says, spitting out the chuck he'd bitten out.
"Wasn't planning on it," Sasha smirks. She peers down the well. "Think it's safe to climb down once Mahjik is up? Hopefully nothing else is waiting for us."
"I can throw more lights down there and see," Douena volunteers brightly.
"Did anybody get the name of that troll that ran me over?" Mahjik gets to his feet unsteadily. His left arm is still a bit limp where his shoulder had been crushed. He breathes deeply. "That... was a whole lot of hurt all at once; thanks for keeping me alive."
"I told you to be glad it's not an icosapus. Then it would have had twenty arms to hit you with." She looks at him soberly. "We're going to climb down and find treasure. Then we're going to climb up and go in the tunnel. Can you do that? If we're not all dead, I'll heal you up good before dark."
"Icosapugilist? I'd rather not meet one of those. aauu" he winces, but the continued flood of positive energy does wonders to the torn physique.
Urza helps to gather the rope and tie it together. "Those Charau-ka may be back soon. We should do this with some sense of urgency."
Douena nods. "Some of us should stay up here in case they come back. Shout down and warn us, and we can climb back up really fast. Pezock, you stay here, and Ishirou and Sasha and Lorenz and Jask and Shokambe and ... Untari...," she trails off. "Tar'kanas, can Untari climb down a rope? On the Shiv, we had a friend named Aakif who had a horse and we had to build a harness to get it up and down the cliffs, but I don't know if Untari would like that." She sidles up to Pezock. "Keep a close eye on my monkey-man," she points to the half-charred charau-ka.
Tar'kanas turns to the gnome, "No. She needs something more solid to climb upon than what a rope can offer."
"Well, then she'd better stay up here with the others for now," Douena says doubtfully, "but how are we going to get her down to the tunnel when we go in?"
"We do not. I shall remain up here with her and wait for your return. If more Charau-ka return as Urza says, I will do all I can to hold them off."
"I will stay as well."
"I'm not sure splitting up long-term is a good idea," Jask says. "Short-term to search for treasure at the bottom of the well is one thing, but we don't know how long that tunnel goes."
"Well," Douena says, getting ready to climb down the rope, "you guys figure out a way to get Untari to the tunnel while we're searching the bottom of the pit. Maybe Desna will smile on us and we'll find magic cat wings down there!"
Urza follows, also Taking 10 for 16.
Mahjik climbs down too.
With the rope, the climb down is fairly easy. The bottom of the pit is littered with the remains of various creatures, mostly rodents and burrowing creatures, it would seem, although there are a few humanoid skeletons as well. A couple of them look like they were charau-ka in life, but there are also a couple that look like human skeletons. All the humanoid skeletons are clearly very old and have been here a long time however (many years clearly), so this is not an indication of any recent travellers being thrown to the creature in the pit.
There are some remnants of old items as well, most of which are smashed falling apart from old age. However, you do find two dirty, but intact, potion bottles, still with liquid inside. They detect as magical--as does a composite longbow (Str +3) that remains in remarkably good shape compared to the other things down here. There is also a masterwork breastplate (not magical). It could use a bit of shining up, but is otherwise still in good shape. Finally, there are some scattered coins here and there of various kinds, and of various Avistani nations. It seems whoever died down here must have done a lot of travelling. Altogether the coins total 132 gp in value.
-- potion of cure serious wounds
-- potion of cure serious wounds
-- fail
"No magic cat wings," Douena says, clearly disappointed. "Now what?"
"Let's see about that passage opening."
"It's way up that way," Douena says helpfully, pointing to the rope. "Look how far away the sky is from down here. Why do you think Raogru was down here? If a tribe of monkey-men thought I was a god, I wouldn't live down a hole; I'd make them build me a big treehouse to live in. Where would you live if you were a god, Urza?"
"That thing may not have been Raogru." He says looking up at the passageway. "If I were a god? I like to think I'd rate my own plane. It would be a lot like the island, hot and humid and teeming with life, but not as unfriendly. I'd have friends and loved ones by all the time. We'd feast and sing and enjoy one another's company and all would be right with the world. What about you?" Urza begins his ascent into darkness.
Take 10 again.
"Of course it was Raogru. It looked just like a Raogru," Douena says, mostly to herself. "Here," she drops a newly-lighted pebble into Urza's pocket. "Toss it in the tunnel when you get up there so you can see how deep it goes."
"Wise man would not seek shelter in the shadow of a god," Mahjik grins, in spite of his body still oozing a little crimson now and again, "I mean, having monkey men make you a treehouse is all good and well; but what are the odds that they'll leave you alone in a treehouse? They'll be all up in your privacy all the time. ...hmmmm... now the tentacle thing was pretty horrible - but... do you really think the monkey people would revere it as a god? What is the chance that there's still big trouble down here?"
"They said it was a sacred well," she points out. "We can ask my monkey-man upstairs when he wakes up."
Mahjik eyes the vial in his hand with uncertainty. "Wise man seeks salvation in a bottle only when he has no pressing matters the next morning." He nods to himself and gulps the entirety of the content in one go, then is pleasantly surprised at the soothing ease at which it runs down his throat and a potent amount of life force fills him again.
While the rest of you are busy searching the bottom of the pit, up top, Ishirou immediately sets to work pulling out additional rope and the old makeshift harness you used for Aakif's horse on Smuggler's Shiv.
"This was made for a horse," he says, to Tar'kanas, "but with some adjustments, we should be able to make it fit Untari."
He pulls out a knife and begins making those adjustments. He enlists Shokambe and Pezock to help him. The tengu is surprisingly willing.
After finishing your search down below, Urza climbs back up to the level of the the tunnel and looks down it. He sees a long dirt-choked stone tunnel stretching to the north as far as his darkvision will allow. Even pulling out the light pebble Douena gave him doesn't reveal the end of it.
It's clear that this tunnel is an artificial one, although very old. Numerous tree roots have broken through the worked stone along it. Navigating past the jutting tree roots will be annoying, but not difficult, and the tunnel is otherwise easily wide enough to allow the party to walk along it. Where it leads, though, is anybody's guess.
"This could lead on a ways. Maybe even be the route to Saventh-Yhi. Let's go back up and decide how we're going to go about this.
"We have to get my monkey-man anyway," Douena agrees. "And we can't leave everyone up there with all his friends likely to come back. Do you think the pillars up there are the pillars of light? They look more like pillars of stone." She climbs up after Urza.
"Hm. Very well." Tar'kanas watches as Ishirou goes to work on a harness, observing how he is going to manage it.
By the time Douena, Urza, and Mahjik climb back up to the top, Ishirou, Shokambe, and Pezock are almost finished modifying the harness. Shokambe turns to Tar'kanas. "We need to try it on Untari in order to make the final adjustments," he says.
Tar'kanas looks at the contraption a bit leery but complies, speaking to Untari, preparing her for the project. When she appears settled, "Very well, you may try it now."
"Lorenz, we found a bow," Douena announces when they reach the top of the rope. "Do you want it? How is my monkey-man? Are all his friends coming back yet? We looked in the tunnel, and it goes pretty deep. Do you think these pillars could be the pillars of light? They don't look very lighty. But you can't tell my pebbles are lit up unless it's dark: Maybe if we wait until dark, the pillars will glow. That would be pretty, wouldn't it? After you've lowered Untari down, do you think we could use the harness for my monkey-man?"